Toronto Raptors: Best Move They Did And Didn’t Make
After finally breaking their playoff glass ceiling, the Toronto Raptors retained their All-Star shooting guard and saw playoff phenom Bismack Biyombo walk. Was that their best move? Did they add anyone who will move the needle?
No one can get everything they want, not even the billionaires running NBA franchises. Some are more successful as others, but every team sees wins and losses every offseason.
The San Antonio Spurs signed LaMarcus Aldridge last year, but that also meant teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers saw him slip away.
Over the coming weeks Hoops Habit will take a walk around the league and highlight the best move of every team this offseason — as well as the best move they didn’t make. Today the East’s other conference finalist, the Toronto Raptors, gets center stage.
Toronto proved itself the second-best team in the East in the playoffs, but the gap between them and the Cavaliers remained large. Did their offseason moves narrow the gap? Or did they leave something undone that could have propelled them forward?
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Best Move They Made: Signing Jared Sullinger
Jared Sullinger is by no means a splashy free-agent signing. A popular player during his college run at Ohio State, health concerns dropped him into the late first round four years ago. Since being drafted by the Celtics, he has put up solid but unspectacular numbers in the box score.
But peel back those basic stats and a different story is brought to light. ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus measures the impact a player has when he is on the court. By that ranking, Sullinger was the 33rd-best player in the league last season.
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That would put him ahead of Dirk Nowitzki, John Wall and Kemba Walker, to name a few. While no one other than his mother is suggesting he is actually the 33rd best player in the league, the statistic speaks to a strong, positive impact that Sullinger has when he takes the floor.
The eye test weighs him down, as his lateral quickness is not the same as lighter, quicker big men. But Sullinger fights for positioning on every rebound, gives up his body for charges, and is improving the range of his shot every season.
The Raptors were very good last season and did not need to break the proverbial bank in order to bring in someone with more name value. Sullinger gives them hustle, rebounding and grit. With Bismack Biyombo headed to Orlando, the Raptors need all of those things they can get.
The other silver lining to the Sullinger signing is the cost. If things don’t work out for Sullinger this offseason, they can allow him to walk with no penalty. It allows Toronto to take Sullinger for a test drive, while still leaving the slot open for next season if they need to audition other players.
Jared Sullinger is not going to shut down LeBron James or share the secret for defeating his former team. But he is an underrated impact player and Toronto is the better for having him.
Best Move They Didn’t Make: Re-Signing Bismack Biyombo Instead Of DeMar DeRozan
Toronto knew from the outset it was choosing between its two most prominent free agents, DeMar DeRozan and Bismack Biyombo, when July 1 rolled around.
On the surface the Raptors made the practical decision. DeRozan is a two-time All Star who averaged 23.5 points per game to lead the team last year. Biyombo averaged 5.5 points per game as the backup to center Jonas Valanciunas.
With Valanciunas beginning the first year of a four-year extension this upcoming season, paying Biyombo $15 million or more per season to be a backup center does bring some redundancy. The two centers probably couldn’t share the court, which would mean they would be splitting 48 minutes between them.
But Biyombo brought to Toronto a defensive edge that wasn’t there in years past. No longer were the Raptors losing basketball games because their defense collapsed late in the fourth quarter.
Biyombo and backup point guard Cory Joseph were brought on to change the defensive identity of the Raptors’ bench, and that’s exactly what they did.
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In the playoffs Valanciunas missed eight games due to injury and Biyombo took off. During those eight games the center from the Congo averaged 8.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks. In one monstrous game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Biyombo ripped down 26 rebounds.
Biyombo’s replacement was drafted with the ninth overall pick, Jakob Poeltl out of Utah. While Poetl possesses the size and length to be a stout defender down the road, he isn’t ready to step in immediately and play crunch-time minutes for a team with lofty playoff aspirations.
DeRozan had a career year last season, bolstered by a career-high 8.4 free throw attempts per game, third in the league behind DeMarcus Cousins and James Harden.
But even with his high number of attempts DeRozan was not an overly efficient player, ranking 108th in adjusted field goal percentage.
His lack of a consistent three-point shot allowed defenders to play off of him and close off lanes to the rim, and DeRozan responded by shooting a plethora of long two-pointers.
On defense DeRozan was a clear minus, ranking 77th among shooting guards in defensive RPM — just behind Kevin Martin and Nik Stauskas.
Despite his height, DeRozan has never put together his athleticism and length to be a consistent defender, and that has hurt the Raptors — especially in the playoffs.
Now Toronto is locked into a future with DeRozan, which is not necessarily a death knell. He is a talented scorer and has been vocal about his love for the organization and the city.
But as he ages out of his prime his defense will only get worse, and if he doesn’t add a three-point shot the new NBA will continue to leave him behind on offense.
With promising wing Normal Powell in the fold for a much cheaper price, the Raptors would have been better off keeping the defensive presence and youth of Biyombo on the roster, giving them versatility at the center position to close games with either a force on offense or defense.
Instead the brittle Valanciunas has a rookie behind him, and the Raptors have around 18 shots per game earmarked for DeMar DeRozan.
must read: Boston Celtics Best Move They Did and Didn't Make
Toronto made a leap forward on the defensive end last season, and it propelled them to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Next season it looks like the Raptors may take a step back, and with teams such as Boston and Indiana making aggressive additions it could be a problem for them in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference.